Joshua 6 tells the story of the siege of Jericho which ended in a massacre (verse 21) in accord with the doctrine of Herem. To modern eyes, this looks like bloody war crime, although some would object that our understanding of the story must be wrong because God is good. It is a fable with a moral, they say, not history. You will have to work out the moral yourself. I don't get it.
Even if the walls didn't tumble at Jericho, there have been many conflicts since that have named God as champion on both sides. So either war is rooted in lies or people don't understand what they are doing or it's God's version of population control, which strikes me as not-so-good. Whatever else we make of it, God is sometimes the justification for atrocities that do not belong in our story if we aspire to civilization ruled by law enforced with compassion. Clearly, we are not there yet.
Putin at Easter Mass: Reuters
Russian Patriarch prays quick end to Ukraine conflict but avoids criticizing it: Reuters
Russian Shelling at Easter: Associated Press
But we've had enough of that. Please, just the weather forecast and the price of gasoline. Some of us are avoiding the news altogether because it stinks of death and we want to breathe sweet peace.
A God of peace would be not-so-bad.
A different god inspired our history:
"new" world explorers, those whose calling was
discovery, plunder, genocide,
who took this ancient land by force and paid
with broken promises
to those who honored nature with restraint
and prospered for ten thousand years or more
so we could use it up.
not idols that will sate the appetite
while missiles, bombs and guns of war lay waste.
The price of war today is children's dreams,
the forests, shores and gardens where they play.
It's far too much to pay.
Glad you brought it to my attention.
ReplyDeleteJohn